Texas unemployment rate up slightly to 4.4 percent in April

The unemployment rate in Texas rose slightly in April to 4.4 percent as job growth statewide remained sluggish for a third consecutive month.

The Texas Workforce Commission reported Friday that the state added just 8,300 jobs in April after losing jobs in March. The unemployment rate moved up from 4.3 percent in March but remains well below the national rate of 5.0 percent.

Separately, the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas put the number at 10,700 jobs in April and said the state has now shown annualized job growth at 1.1 percent for 2016, after growing 1.3 percent in 2015.

“The mild pickup in job growth in April, along with a continued rise in most leading indicators, suggests that Texas job growth will improve in the coming months,” Keith R. Phillips, assistant vice president and senior economist at the Dallas Fed, said in a statement.

The state continued to lose jobs in goods-producing industries, including oil and gas production and manufacturing, off 11,000 for the month. The biggest job gains came in education and health services, up 10,900, and professional and business services, up 6,600.

Both the Fort Worth and Dallas sides of the Metroplex showed job gains on a non-seasonally adjusted basis, with the Fort Worth-Arlington jobless rate at 3.7 percent and Dallas-Plano-Irving at 3.4 percent.

Mark Malone, senior regional vice president for Robert Half in Dallas, said the job market remains tight in the Metroplex, presenting challenges to employers.

“Many of today’s job seekers value benefits that promote healthy work-life balance, such as flexible work hours and telecommute options,” he said in an email. “Employers that offer these benefits stand a better chance of standing out from the competition.”

Amarillo had the lowest rate in the state at 2.7 percent while McAllen-Edinburg-Mission had the highest at 7.2 percent.

Ruth R. Hughs, a Workforce Commission member who represents employers, noted that the state has added jobs in 12 out of the past 13 months, “a credit to the diversity and resilience of employers in Texas.”

Texas employers have added 189,600 jobs over the past year, the commission said.

This story was originally published May 20, 2016 at 10:29 AM with the headline "Texas unemployment rate up slightly to 4.4 percent in April."